New Partnership to Establish Ontario as Premier Site in Pre-Market Evaluation of Medical Technologies

New Partnership to Establish Ontario as Premier Site in Pre-Market Evaluation of Medical Technologies

TORONTO, Dec. 6, 2011 /CNW/ - MaRS today announces pilot studies that will position Ontario as the premier global site for pre-market evaluation of innovative, new medical technologies. Both multinational and small and medium-sized enterprises are invited to apply to participate in the studies, the first stage in a groundbreaking public-private partnership—MaRS Excellence in Clinical Innovation and Technology Evaluation ("EXCITE").

Medical devices and equipment are contributing to the increased cost of health care in Ontario and around the world. EXCITE will lower health care costs and increase patient benefits by improving the quality and relevance of these technologies, streamlining their health system adoption and expediting their market penetration. In doing so, EXCITE will accelerate innovation for the benefit of patients, the health system and the economy.

EXCITE brings Ontario's established excellence in technology evaluation to important products earlier in their development lifecycle. Focusing exclusively on high-potential products that align with health system priorities and patient needs, EXCITE's pre-market approach identifies opportunities for improvement while products are still in development, resulting in better technologies for patients and lower system costs, while also streamlining the subsequent adoption process.

Dr. Les Levin, MaRS EXCITE Chief Scientific Officer, is building on his experience as head of Ontario's Medical Advisory Secretariat (MAS) at Health Quality Ontario, which, together with multiple academic partners, has positioned Ontario as a globally recognized leader in medical technology assessment.

Dr. Levin sees EXCITE as the next step in the evolution of assessing technologies through a single process, doing away with the multiple, evidence-based approaches currently applied to new health technologies by many countries, which may be stifling innovation. "Medical technologies have most often been developed without the benefit of interaction between the health system and industry to help us understand how new technologies meet the health system's needs," he says. "EXCITE provides an opportunity for industry, government, academia, medical experts and the health system to work together in a single, efficient process to bring breakthrough medical technologies to patients and to the market."

EXCITE represents a unique and powerful partnership:

  • Health system (Ontario Health Technology Advisory Committee [OHTAC])
  • Government (Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care [MOHLTC] and Ministry of Economic Development and Innovation [MEDI])
  • Academia (Council of Academic Hospitals of Ontario [CAHO] and more than 10 leading academic health institutions across Ontario)
  • Industry (MEDEC and HTX)
  • MaRS Discovery District

EXCITE is hosted by MaRS Discovery District, benefiting from MaRS' role as a neutral platform focused on accelerating innovation.

Ilse Treurnicht, CEO MaRS Discovery District, sees EXCITE as a potential catalyst for innovation and job growth in the province. "Leadership in this field will attract multinational companies here to test and build technologies under the new streamlined process. It will also make it easier for Ontario innovators to get their products validated using our own health system. In combination, these efforts will stimulate job growth in the health technology sector, and increase the local and global adoption of Ontario-produced innovations."

"A key focus of our innovation strategy is fostering strong collaborations that are vital to success in the new knowledge economy," said Brad Duguid, Minister of Economic Development and Innovation.  "We're proud of this project, which will drive innovation and grow our economy by bringing medical breakthroughs that provide better healthcare to Ontarians." The deadline for applications to participate in the studies is December 20, 2011. For more information on EXCITE and the pilot application process, visit http://excite.marsdd.com.

About MaRS EXCITE
The MaRS Excellence in Clinical Innovation and Technology Evaluation initiative (EXCITE - http://excite.marsdd.com) is a groundbreaking partnership between the health system, academe, government and industry to establish effective pre-market evidence development and evaluation of high-impact medical technologies. EXCITE is hosted by MaRS Discovery District.

About MaRS
MaRS Discovery District (www.marsdd.com) (Twitter: @MaRSDD) is a mission driven innovation centre located in Toronto. MaRS works with partners to catalyze, accelerate and amplify innovation. MaRS supports entrepreneurs building Canada's next generation of growth companies.


For further information:

Karen Greve Young
Director, Strategic Initiatives
(416) 673-6609
kyoung@marsdd.com

Chris Stevenson
Director, Communications
(416) 673-8104
cstevenson@marsdd.com

New online advertising guidance sets out restrictions for tracking

New online advertising guidance sets out restrictions for tracking

Privacy Commissioner of Canada Jennifer Stoddart calls on organizations involved in online behavioural advertising to provide better information about their practices; says the tracking of children and use of tracking technologies that can’t be turned off should be off-limits.

TORONTO, December 6, 2011 – Advertisers who use targeted online ads need to be upfront with Canadians about what they’re doing and must make it easy for people to say No to being tracked, says Privacy Commissioner of Canada Jennifer Stoddart.
 
The Commissioner today launched new guidelines on online behavioural advertising which also set out restrictions on the tracking of children and tracking technologies that people can’t turn off.  Behavioural advertising involves tracking consumers’ online activities over time, in order to deliver advertisements that are targeted to their inferred interests.
 
“The use of online behavioural advertising has exploded and we’re concerned that Canadians’ privacy rights aren’t always being respected,” says Commissioner Stoddart, who launched the guidelines in a speech to the Marketing and the Law conference in Toronto.
 
“Many Canadians don’t know how they’re being tracked – and that’s no surprise because, in too many cases, they have to dig down to the bottom of a long and legalistic privacy policy to find out.”
 
The new guidance document says information about behavioural advertising should be clear, obvious and understandable.  Accepting participation in online behavioural advertising should not be considered a condition for people to use the Internet generally.  People must be able to easily opt out of this practice.

“Some people like receiving ads targeted to their specific interests.  Others are extremely uncomfortable with the notion of their online activities being tracked.  People’s choices must be respected,” says Commissioner Stoddart.
 
She also flagged some important restrictions when it comes to online behavioural advertising.
 
“If an individual can’t say no to the technology being used for tracking or targeting, then the industry shouldn’t use that technology for behavioural advertising purposes,” she told the advertising industry conference.  “So, in the current online behavioural advertising environment, that means no use of web bugs or web beacons, no super cookies, no pixel hacks, no device fingerprinting and no to any new covert tracking technique of which the user is unaware and has no reasonable way to decline.”

Another restricted area involves the online tracking of children.  The guidelines state that organizations should avoid knowingly tracking children and tracking on websites aimed at children. 

“Children are not likely able to provide the meaningful consent required under our privacy law for the tracking of their online activities.  This is an increasingly important issue as we see the average age of first-time Internet users dropping,” says the Commissioner.

The guidelines also say advertisers should avoid collecting other sensitive information, such as individuals’ health information.

Commissioner Stoddart says her Office developed the guidance document to help organizations involved in online behavioural advertising ensure their practices are fair and transparent and in compliance with Canada’s federal private-sector privacy law, the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act, or PIPEDA.

“The approach we’re taking – as prescribed under Canadian law – is reasonable.  It allows industry to be innovative and to grow while respecting individuals’ right to privacy.”

The Privacy Commissioner of Canada is mandated by Parliament to act as an ombudsman and guardian of privacy in Canada. The Commissioner enforces two federal laws for the protection of personal information: the Privacy Act, which applies to the federal public sector; and the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA), which applies to commercial activities in the Atlantic provinces, Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and the Territories. Quebec, Alberta and British Columbia each has its own law covering the private sector. Even in these provinces, PIPEDA continues to apply to the federally regulated private sector and to personal information in interprovincial and international transactions.

Related documents:

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For more information (media only), please contact:

Valerie Lawton
Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada
E-mail: Valerie.Lawton@priv.gc.ca

Beware of scammers pretending to represent the CRTC

Beware of scammers pretending to represent the CRTC

OTTAWA-GATINEAU, Dec. 5, 2011 /CNW/ - The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) has been alerted that people claiming to represent the CRTC are making telephone calls to Canadians and informing them that their computers are potentially at risk. The caller then asks to remotely connect to the computer to scan for and remove any viruses.

These callers are not CRTC employees. Canadians should never grant remote access to their computers or give their passwords to someone who has called them claiming to represent a government organization.

For further information:

These calls are likely phishing scams that could result in identity theft and fraud. For tips on cyber safety, please visit Get Cyber Safe http://www.getcybersafe.gc.ca/index-eng.aspx.

Workplace Fraud Costs Canadian Businesses Billions Annually

Workplace fraud costs Canadian businesses billions annually

 

Most SMEs ill-equipped to respond to problem; slowing economy raises risk

 

TORONTO, December 6, 2011 – Workplace fraud in Canada costs small and medium enterprises (SMEs) billions of dollars each year, according to the latest research report from the Certified General Accountants Association of Canada (CGA-Canada). Collective losses are conservatively estimated at $3.2 billion for 2010. Yet many firms are overlooking the problem or underestimating their vulnerability.

“The risk of workplace fraud is almost certain to rise as economic growth slows and more employees experience financial difficulties,” says Rock Lefebvre, CGA-Canada’s Vice-President of Research and Standards and co-author of the report. “It’s a genuine threat and companies need to be vigilant. It may be a case of pay now, for prevention, detection and response measures, or quite possibly pay later.”

The survey-based report revealed that about 290,000 Canadian SMEs were victims of one or more instances of workplace fraud in the past year. The most common forms of fraud were misappropriation of inventory or assets, and misappropriation of cash.

Despite this, 74 per cent of respondents believe their exposure to occupational fraud is low, with 80 per cent having no response plan in place and 59 per cent undertaking no form of periodic risk assessment.

Mr. Lefebvre warns that the harm done by occupational fraud goes beyond monetary damage.

“The financial loss is one thing, but it’s staff morale and management confidence that really take a hit,” says Mr. Lefebvre. “The reputation, value, and public and client trust of these companies also suffer.”

Highlights and the full report, Does Canada Have a Problem with Occupational Fraud? are available on the CGA-Canada website.

This is the latest report by the association.  CGA-Canada develops impartial and objective research on a range of topics related to major accounting, economic and social issues affecting Canadians and businesses. The association is recognized for heightening public awareness, contributing to public policy dialogue, and advancing public interest.

 

About CGA-Canada                                                                                                                                                   

Founded in 1908, the Certified General Accountants Association of Canada serves 75,000 Certified General Accountants and students in Canada and more than 90 countries. Respected accounting and financial management professionals, CGAs work in industry, finance, government and public practice. CGA-Canada establishes the designation’s certification requirements and professional standards, offers professional development, conducts research and advocacy, and represents CGAs nationally and internationally.

For further information or to request an interview, please contact:

James Bigg

Edelman Public Relations

Tel: 416-849-2496

Email: james.bigg@edelman.com

 

Taylore Ashlie
Director, Communications
CGA-Canada
Cellular: 604-307-0212
Email:
tashlie@cga-canada.org 

 

RSA Shuts Down More Than 500,000 Cyber Attacks Across 185 Countries


RSA Shuts Down More Than 500,000 Cyber Attacks Across 185 Countries

RSA FraudAction Service Helps Prevent US$7.5 Billion in Estimated Fraud
Losses Against Global Customers

BEDFORD, Mass. – December 6, 2011 – Now in its seventh year
operating one of the world’s foremost commercial online anti-fraud
services, RSA, The Security Division of EMC (NYSE: EMC), today announced
that its RSA FraudAction (http://rsa.com/node.aspx?id=3020)SM
anti-phishing and anti-Trojan service recently reached a milestone in
the fight against cyber crime. The RSA FraudAction service shut down its
500,000th online attack on behalf of its global customers and, to date,
has helped them prevent an estimated US$7.5 billion** in potential fraud
losses.

Click here
(http://www.rsa.com/go/press/RSATheSecurityDivisionofEMCNewsRelease_120511.html)
to view the social media version of this press release.

The RSA FraudAction service is a proven and proactive managed service
that is engineered to help protect customers, primarily in the banking
and online retail industries, against phishing, pharming and Trojan
attacks. The service is designed to provide 24x7x365 monitoring and
fraud detection, real-time alerts and reporting, forensics and
countermeasures, and attack site blocking and shutdown. Today, hundreds
of global organizations rely on the RSA FraudAction service to help
protect their customers against the latest online threats such as
phishing attacks
(http://rsa.com/experience/consumer/infographic/RSA_Phishing_Infographic.html).

“Phishing has reached pandemic levels globally, impacting business
and consumers alike, with billions of dollars being lost to cyber
criminals – yet electronic commerce and online banking continues to
thrive in nearly every corner of the world,” said Peter Cassidy,
Secretary General of the Anti-Phishing Working Group, a non-profit
global pan-industrial and law enforcement association. “Industry and
governments are collaborating to combat the threats and are finding
innovative ways to successfully leverage technology, intelligence
sharing and relationships to identify and take down phishing attacks
more rapidly than before which helps suppress their effectiveness and
greatly diminish their potential impact.”

According to November 2011 data compiled by the Anti-Phishing Working
Group
(http://www.antiphishing.org/reports/APWG_GlobalPhishingSurvey_1H2011.pdf),
the number of worldwide phishing attacks in the first half of 2011
(115,472) is up more than double over the same period last year (48,244)
and nearly matches the full-year phishing attack totals for 2010.
Despite this, the median phishing site uptime for attacks has decreased
by more than 22 per cent year-over-year (from 13 hours, 42 minutes, to
10 hours, 44 minutes).

“This milestone translates into significant cost savings for our
clients and helps to establish the trusted environment their customers
depend upon,” said RSA President Tom Heiser. “In the first half of
2011 alone, the RSA FraudAction service saved our customers an estimated
US$520 million that might otherwise be lost to online attacks such as
phishing and pharming. Not only does this enable customers to operate
more profitably, RSA’s work helps to raise the cost of fraud, making
these kinds of attacks economically unattractive to cyber criminals.”

At the core of the RSA FraudAction service is RSA’s Anti-Fraud
Command Center (AFCC), an experienced team of more than 130 fraud
analysts who work 24x7x365 to shut down fraudulent web sites, deploy
countermeasures, and conduct extensive forensic work to help stop online
criminals and prevent future attacks. The AFCC has established a network
of dozens of ISPs and more than 13,000 hosting entities around the world
and provides multi-lingual translation support in nearly 200 languages
to further enhance its ability to detect, block and shut down sites on a
global scale.


“Every hour a phishing attack remains active can be costly for the
targeted organization such as a bank or online retailer,” said Avivah
Litan, Vice President and Distinguished Analyst at Gartner. “Web fraud
detection and takedown services have proven to significantly help reduce
the lifespan of these attacks which helps minimize the potential of
financial loss for targeted organizations and to reduce the distribution
and potency of the malware that is typically used in these attacks to
infect end users and harvest information such as log-in credentials and
other sensitive data.”

The RSA FraudAction Research Lab recently estimated
(http://www.rsa.com/experience/consumer/infographic/RSA_Phishing_Infographic.html)
that worldwide losses incurred from phishing attacks during the 12-month
period of the second half 2010 through the first half 2011 reached
nearly US$1 billion with more than one-third of those losses coming from
organizations located in the U.S. and U.K.

“Our services have become increasingly valuable to our customers
given the continued evolution and rise of phishing attacks that
fraudsters are making more sophisticated and harder to detect,” said
Michal Blumenstyk-Braverman, General Manager of RSA Israel. “Our team
of online fraud fighters works alongside customers to help reduce
exposure to phishing, pharming and Trojan attacks that seek to
compromise customer data that can lead to financial loss. The AFCC is
among the world’s best at this, evidenced by how quickly we have been
able to identify and disable attacks before they can cause widespread
damage.”

The RSA FraudAction service is the recipient of numerous awards and
industry recognition from leading analyst firms
(http://www.rsa.com/press_release.aspx?id=11406) and independent
publications. In addition to providing anti-fraud services, the RSA
Anti-Fraud Command Center issues a Monthly Online Fraud Report
(http://www.rsa.com/go/gpage.aspx?id=163) that provides news and
analysis on phishing trends such as top countries attacked, most used
attacked vectors, and other data from the Center’s global phishing
repository.

The RSA Anti-Fraud Command Center
(http://www.rsa.com/fraud/video/RSAisrael119___(508x286).wmv) serves its
global customers from two facilities within EMC’s Centers of
Excellence located in Herzeliya, Israel and Cork, Ireland. More
information can be found at the RSA Online Fraud Resource Center
(http://rsa.com/node.aspx?id=1331).

**estimates based on RSA Anti-Fraud Command Center calculations
combined with other third-party sources.

About RSA

RSA, The Security Division of EMC, is the premier provider of security,
risk and compliance management solutions for business acceleration. RSA
helps the world’s leading organizations solve their most complex and
sensitive security challenges. These challenges include managing
organizational risk, safeguarding mobile access and collaboration,
proving compliance, and securing virtual and cloud environments.

Combining business-critical controls in identity assurance, encryption
& key management, SIEM, Data Loss Prevention, Continuous Network
Monitoring, and Fraud Protection with industry leading eGRC capabilities
and robust consulting services, RSA brings visibility and trust to
millions of user identities, the transactions that they perform and the
data that is generated. For more information, please visit www.RSA.com
and www.EMC.com.

About EMC

EMC Corporation is a global leader in enabling businesses and service
providers to transform their operations and deliver IT as a service.
Fundamental to this transformation is cloud computing. Through
innovative products and services, EMC accelerates the journey to cloud
computing, helping IT departments to store, manage, protect and analyze
their most valuable asset – information – in a more agile, trusted
and cost-efficient way. Additional information about EMC can be found at
www.EMC.com.


EMC Canada (www.EMC2.ca), headquartered in Toronto with nine offices
from coast to coast, is a wholly owned subsidiary of EMC Corporation.

- 30 -

For more information contact:
Mike Martin/Michelle Chang
StrategicAmpersand
416-961-5595
mike@stratamp.com
michelle@stratamp.com

Canadians Aren't Fully Leveraging Mobile Technology When Travelling for Business

Canadians Aren't Fully Leveraging Mobile Technology When Travelling for Business

Concur survey examines the mobile habits of business travellers and identifies top hassles

REDMOND, WASHINGTON--(Marketwire -12/05/11)- Editors note: There is one infographic and one backgrounder associated with this press release.

Though Canadians are ahead of the curve with regard to mobile device usage(1), a new survey reveals that today's business travellers aren't fully leveraging mobile applications that may help streamline the travel experience and maximize productivity when away from the office.

Concur (NASDAQ: CNQR - News), a leading provider of integrated travel and expense management solutions, recently engaged EKOS Research Associates Inc. to conduct a nationwide survey on the mobile habits of Canadian business travellers.

"Given that more than 80 per cent of business travellers agree that face-to-face interaction is important, we know that travel will continue to be a crucial component of doing business," says Scott Newell, Senior Director for Concur. "The more we know about the business traveller of today, the better we can help them manage their travel, address their concerns and make their lives a little easier."

Trip Planning and Mobile Application Usage

With 45 per cent of Canadian business travellers using smartphones on an hourly basis, it makes good business sense for them to optimize this device to manage all aspects of their trip. With Concur's mobile applications, Canadian business travellers can create, review and approve travel itineraries and expense reports - plus manage their itineraries while on the road - all from their smartphone or mobile device.

Concur's mobile solutions give business travellers instant access to:

 --  View travel itineraries and flight status updates--  Book rental cars, hotels, dining reservations and taxis --  Step-by-step directions back to their hotel from wherever they are--  Capture expense receipt images with their camera phone and enter    expenses on-the-spot--  Create and submit expense reports in real time

The Hassles of Business Travel

"Business travel can be stressful at times, and we want to know what travellers find most frustrating," adds Newell. In descending order of importance, business travellers say that their top frustrations are:

 --  Waiting in lines (30%)--  A tight travel budget (18%)--  Finding their way around unfamiliar cities (15%)--  Remembering to obtain travel receipts (14%) --  Learning about last minute changes to their travel itinerary (10%)--  Abiding by all of their employer's travel policies (5%)

When business travellers return to the office, another hassle surfaces - expense reporting:

 --  More than two thirds (67%) indicate that keeping track of expenses and    receipts is a hassle--  Nearly six in ten (58%) report being frustrated by filling in and filing    expenses--  More than half (51%) worry about being reimbursed for all of their     expenses

Concur's mobile solutions help business travellers from the moment their trip begins, all the way through to reimbursement once the trip is completed. Concur's TripIt makes it easy for business travellers to organize and share their trips, while TripIt Pro keeps them in the know regarding flight status, alternate flights, frequent traveller points and eligibility for refunds. Concur's powerful mobile app streamlines expense reporting by allowing travellers to track and enter their expenses in real time. Since Concur's solutions automatically synch with the company's expense policies and restrictions, it is easier for employees to select hotels, flights and other travel related services that conform to corporate policies - on the web or on their mobile device.

Microsemi Corporation - CMPG Divisioni has used Concur solutions since 2006. By submitting expenses as they occur, our employees save time, and account managers are able to reimburse them quickly, increasing overall satisfaction. Employees now have more time to commit to non-administrative activities associated with business travel.

"By moving to an online paperless system, we have achieved tremendous savings and increased business productivity," says Allison Stoneham, Division Controller for Microsemi Corporation - CMPG Divisioni. "Perhaps the greatest overall benefit has been in the area of employee satisfaction. Our people can save time, simplify their travel-lives, and have more confidence in the timeliness with which they will be reimbursed for business travel expenses."

NOTE: See backgrounder for regional data on mobile device usage.

About Concur:

Concur is a leading provider of integrated travel and expense management solutions. Concur's adaptable web-based and mobile solutions help companies and their employees control costs and save time. Learn more at www.concur.ca.

About the Survey:

The results are based on an EKOS Research Associates Inc. survey conducted in November 2011 with 1,076 Canadian business travellers who use a mobile device. Results are valid within +/-2.9 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.

(1) ComScore. (2011). comScore Launches Mobile Measurement in Canada (Press release). Retrieved from http://www.comscore.com/Press_Events/Press_Releases/2011/6/comScore_Launches_Mobile_Measurement_in_Canada

To view the backgrounder, please visit the following link: http://media3.marketwire.com/docs/Concur_backgrounder.pdf

To view an infographic developed by Concur about Canadian business travellers, please visit the following link:

Contact:

Media
Weber Shandwick for Concur
Janelle Gomes
604-681-7557 ext. 201
Weber Shandwick for Concur
Patrick Martins
416-642-7958
pmartins@webershandwick.com

Ingram Micro Canada Celebrates Back-to-Back Wins at 2011 Microsoft Partner Network IMPACT Awards

 

Ingram Micro Canada Celebrates Back-to-Back Wins at 2011 Microsoft Partner Network IMPACT Awards

Company Recognized as Microsoft's Top Canadian Distribution Partner Two Years in a Row, Congratulates Ingram Micro VentureTech Network Members on Winning Partner of the Year Honours

MISSISSAUGA, ON, Dec 05, 2011 (MARKETWIRE via COMTEX) -- Ingram Micro Inc. /quotes/zigman/169453/quotes/nls/im IM +1.00% -- For the second consecutive year, Microsoft Canada Inc. has recognized Ingram Micro Canada as "Distributor of the Year."

In addition, Ingram Micro Canada is pleased to announce that three of its Canadian VentureTech Network (VTN) members were named Microsoft Canada's Partner of the Year winners. VTN member 360 Visibility was presented with the prestigious IMPACT award for the Microsoft Canada & Ingram Micro Canada - VentureTech Network Partner of the Year, while AMA Inc. received the award for the Microsoft Canada & HP Frontline Canadian Partner of the Year. These two awards fell under the New Canadian Partnership category, with VTN members earning two of the three awards presented.

VTN member Groupe Access walked away with the IMPACT award for Canadian Virtualization Partner of the Year. In addition, VTN member IT Weapons was nominated under the Canadian Marketing Innovation Partner of the Year category.

Upon accepting the award on behalf of 360 Visibility, Marco D'Ercole, executive vice president, thanked his entire staff, Microsoft Canada, Ingram Micro Canada and then asked the audience "For those of you who don't belong to VTN, what are you waiting for?"

The ninth annual IMPACT Awards recognize excellence across the large and diverse community of Microsoft's Canadian technology partners and celebrate the tremendous work accomplished by partners as they respond to challenges in their business through the use of technology. The prestigious accolade of Distributor of the Year was presented to Ingram Micro Canada at the IMPACT awards ceremony, held November 30 at the historic Distillery district in downtown Toronto.

Microsoft Canada applauded Ingram Micro Canada's outstanding creativity and effective approach to new and existing business opportunities, as well as its excellence in engaging with Microsoft and its mutual channel partners. In addition, Ingram Micro Canada was recognized for its exceptional execution and effectiveness in reaching resellers and providing a high level of customer satisfaction while delivering strong business results.

"We are honoured to once again earn the title of Microsoft Canada's Distributor of the Year and congratulate our VTN members for being recognized as top-performing Partners of the Year," says Mark Snider, general manager, Ingram Micro Canada. "Microsoft has been a foundational partner with Ingram Micro and this recognition demonstrates the ongoing success of our relationship and the positive impact our efforts are having on the Microsoft partner community."

In 2011, Ingram Micro Canada made a number of strategic investments in the Microsoft business and continued to build on the strength and success of its dedicated team of Microsoft-focused associates and Canadian VTN membership. One of the top joint initiatives launched this year by Ingram Micro Canada and Microsoft Canada included a successful mobile customer solution for cloud computing that can be leveraged by channel partners nationwide to demonstrate to customers and prospects the length and breadth of Microsoft's cloud technology without having to incur any travel expense or inconvenience.

"Ingram Micro Canada and our Canadian VTN members have enjoyed a great year of partnership and prosperity with Microsoft," says Tim Billing, vice president of vendor management, Ingram Micro Canada. "We're eager to replicate this success in 2012 and extend our partnership to new heights."

For more information about the 2011 Microsoft IMPACT awards, visit http://www.microsoft.ca/awards .

Follow Ingram Micro Inc. on Facebook at www.facebook.com/IngramMicro and Twitter at www.twitter.com/IngramMicroInc .

About Ingram Micro Inc. /quotes/zigman/169453/quotes/nls/im IM +1.00% As a vital link in the technology value chain, Ingram Micro creates sales and profitability opportunities for vendors and resellers through unique marketing programs, outsourced logistics, technical and financial support, managed and cloud-based services, and product aggregation and distribution. The company is the only global broad-based IT distributor, serving more than 150 countries on six continents with the world's most comprehensive portfolio of IT products and services. Visit www.ingrammicro.com .

Gartner Outlines Six Ways for Providers to Go to Market in the Data Center

Gartner Outlines Six Ways for Providers to Go to Market in the Data Center

Key Data Center Issues Being Examined at Gartner Data Center Conference, December 5-8 in Las Vegas

STAMFORD, Conn., December 5, 2011—

IT managers are beginning to view the data center more holistically and are taking a more strategic approach to technology procurement and deployment, and technology and service providers that sell into the data center will want to broaden their marketing approach, according to Gartner, Inc.

"If you are selling into the data center, you are no longer just competing head-to-head with familiar competitors selling like products," said April Adams, research director at Gartner. "Today, you have increased competition not only in your specific area of technological expertise, but for overall enterprise mind share, as well. Providers will need to expand their view of the competitive landscape and consider alternative ways to go to market in order to highlight their strengths and maximize their sales potential."

Gartner has identified six ways that technology and service providers can go to market in the data center.

Option 1: Compete as a Specialist
If a provider is competing as a specialist, it specializes in one technology area, and it doesn't try to be all things to all people. It doesn't go to market with converged systems or as a one-stop shot. Specialists want to be perceived as best-in-class in their technology area and covet a reputation as the provider with the most innovative or advanced technology. The primary advantage of this go-to-market option for strategic marketing, product marketing, product management, marketing communications and brand managers is that the approach is familiar. The primary downside is the changing market environment that introduces new competition. True specialists may well be better off trying to lead within their technology area than expanding into adjacent markets.

Option 2: Go to Market as a Traditional Portfolio Provider

Portfolio providers are large providers that sell all or some of the various components that make up the data center infrastructure. In the traditional portfolio provider model, these technologies are developed in-house. The primary advantage of this go-to-market strategy lies in the provider's size. Most traditional portfolio providers are large enterprises, which means that they have the resources on hand to focus effectively on more than one technology area and produce successful, if not always groundbreaking, products in the areas deemed important to the customer's marketing strategy. Traditional portfolio providers should carefully monitor the market, and if there is any chance that they might move toward a converged offering, they should begin to explore how an integrated product might be deployed.

Option 3: Partner to Achieve a Portfolio Offering
Partnering is an alternative way to get all the necessary data center infrastructure components into the provider's portfolio if it doesn't have offerings in every category in-house. This approach also enables providers to focus their resources on the things they do best and rely on partners for the rest. However, partnerships can be fickle, and sometimes they falter. Those taking the portfolio-by-partnership route should not underestimate the resources required to effectively manage and nurture these partnership relationships.

Option 4: Develop a Converged Offering
Some portfolio providers have taken a step beyond certification, integration and test, and developed converged systems or integrated offerings for the data center. If the trend of approaching change in the data center with a definitive strategic plan that includes an integrated project road map continues into 2012, then going to market in this way could position providers as market leaders rather than market followers. Undertaking this strategy is a bold move. This approach represents a commitment to a new kind of data center and a new relationship between providers and customers. It requires significant investment and has the potential to take a long time to achieve a good return on investment (ROI).

Option 5: Hedge Your Bets by Using Multiple Approaches
Portfolio providers with a data center transformation (DCT) offering have the opportunity to sell both in the traditional, silo-based way and as a converged system or integrated stack. This strategy has all the benefits of both strategies and, with the exception of not being part of the holistic data center conversation, all of the disadvantages as well. Going to market both ways allows providers to cover all the bases no matter what buyers opt to do, both individually in the short term and collectively for the longer range.

Option 6: Sell Your Data Center Technologies as a Service
The final go-to-market strategy alternative for the data center is to deliver the technology as a service — cloud or otherwise. There are several ways to achieve this:

1. The customer owns the infrastructure, but the provider operates it (on-premises/off-premises)
2. The provider owns the infrastructure, but the customer operates it (on-premises/off-premises).
3. The provider owns and operates the infrastructure (on-premises/off-premises).
4. Depending on the requirements of the customer, the service can be shared between entities or restricted.

Advantages to pursuing this go-to-market option, at least for technology (as opposed to service) providers, include the fact that there are several ways to go about it, some requiring less infrastructure investment than others. This alternative also allows providers to stick to their area of expertise while still tapping into the key wants and needs of data center customers. One critical decision faced by those who select this option is whether to transition existing customers to these models (and if so, how) or to pursue a dual strategy in which they sell both in the traditional way and as a service simultaneously.

"These options are not intended to be sequential. Providers can and do dip their toes in the waters of a new option, while maintaining most of their business in their mainstay position," Ms. Adams said. "Considering these trends as part of your forward-thinking, go-to-market planning and making thoughtful decisions based on your company's unique set of strengths and weaknesses will position you well in the changing market and could give you a marked competitive advantage relative to providers that do not."

Additional information is available in the Gartner report "Marketing Essentials: Six Ways to Go to Market in the Data Center." The report is available on Gartner's website at http://www.gartner.com/resId=1845821.

About Gartner Data Center Conference
Gartner analysts will provide additional analysis on key issues facing the data center market at the 30th Annual Gartner Data Center Conference, December 5-8 in Las Vegas. This event delivers a wealth of strategic guidance and tactical recommendations on the hottest issues, including servers, next-stage virtualization, the impact of cloud computing, mobility, storage, facilities, business continuity and disaster recovery.

More information on the Gartner Data Center Conference is available at www.gartner.com/us/datacenter. Additional information from the event will be shared on Twitter at http://twitter.com/Gartner_incand using #GartnerDC.

Contacts:

Christy Pettey
Gartner
+1 408 468 8312
christy.pettey@gartner.com

Holly Stevens
Gartner
+44 0 1784 267412
holly.stevens@gartner.com


About Gartner:
Gartner, Inc. (NYSE: IT) is the world's leading information technology research and advisory company. Gartner delivers the technology-related insight necessary for its clients to make the right decisions, every day. From CIOs and senior IT leaders in corporations and government agencies, to business leaders in high-tech and telecom enterprises and professional services firms, to technology investors, Gartner is a valuable partner to 60,000 clients in 11,500 distinct organizations. Through the resources of Gartner Research, Gartner Executive Programs, Gartner Consulting and Gartner Events, Gartner works with every client to research, analyze and interpret the business of IT within the context of their individual role. Founded in 1979, Gartner is headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut, U.S.A., and has 4,500 associates, including 1,250 research analysts and consultants, and clients in 85 countries. For more information, visit www.gartner.com.

G-Technology by Hitachi Strengthens Its Brand Presence in Canada

G-Technology by Hitachi Strengthens Its Brand Presence in Canada

Hitachi GST Extends Distribution Agreement with D&H to Market and Sell G-Technology’s Full Line of Premium External Storage Solutions in Canada for the Apple® Mac® and Creative Professional Market

SAN JOSE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Trusted by creative professionals around the world, G-Technology by Hitachi today announced that D&H Canada, one of North America’s leading technology distributors, is authorized to distribute Hitachi GST’s full line of premium G-Technology external storage solutions. D&H Canada will offer and promote the award-winning G-Technology brand, including the G-SPEED, G-RAID and G-DRIVE product families, to its strong channel customer network of leading retailers, resellers and solution providers throughout the region.

“Our partnership with D&H Canada is designed to extend the value of the brand, increase consumer awareness in the region and to better meet the demand for top-quality external storage solutions that feature superior performance, functionality, usability, reliability and industrial design. We look forward to a long relationship with D&H.”

G-Technology drives are engineered specifically to meet the needs of the content creation and Apple Mac communities, including heavy users of multimedia content, Final Cut Pro® digital audio/video specialists and other pre/post production professionals. From rugged portable drives to ultra-fast, multi-drive RAID storage, G-Technology’s USB, FireWire, eSATA, and SAS storage solutions support virtually all levels of A/V production and can be found in post-production facilities worldwide.

“The Mac and content creation market is growing fast in Canada, driven by the rising popularity of Apple products as well as the increased storage demands driven by digital photography, HD video, online music and the Internet,” said Ian Andes, vice president of G-Technology sales, Hitachi GST Branded Business. “Our partnership with D&H Canada is designed to extend the value of the brand, increase consumer awareness in the region and to better meet the demand for top-quality external storage solutions that feature superior performance, functionality, usability, reliability and industrial design. We look forward to a long relationship with D&H.”

“G-Technology has a strong brand and leading reputation in the Mac and creative community, and there’s growing demand for their products in Canada. We are thrilled to have them as part of our product lineup. D&H is actively offering G-Technology’s storage solutions to our national partners right in time for the holiday shopping season,” said Greg Tobin, general manager, D&H Canada. “We look forward to working together with G-Technology by Hitachi and growing our businesses within the Mac community.”

Stay connected with G-Technology by visiting www.G-Technology.com, or by joining us here:

Facebook: G-Technology

Twitter: @GTechbyHitachi

YouTube: GTechStorage

Flickr: G-Technology

About Hitachi Global Storage Technologies

Hitachi Global Storage Technologies (Hitachi GST) develops advanced hard disk drives, enterprise-class solid state drives, and innovative external storage solutions and services used to store, preserve and manage the world’s most valued data. Founded by the pioneers of hard drives, Hitachi GST provides high-value storage for a broad range of market segments, including Enterprise, Desktop, Mobile Computing, Consumer Electronics and Personal Storage. Hitachi GST was established in 2003 and maintains its U.S. headquarters in San Jose, California. For more information, please visit the company’s website at http://www.hitachigst.com.

About Hitachi, Ltd.

Hitachi, Ltd., (NYSE: HIT / TSE: 6501), headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, is a leading global electronics company with approximately 360,000 employees worldwide. Fiscal 2009 (ended March 31, 2010) consolidated revenues totaled 8,968 billion yen ($96.4 billion). Hitachi will focus more than ever on the Social Innovation Business, which includes information and telecommunication systems, power systems, environmental, industrial and transportation systems, and social and urban systems, as well as the sophisticated materials and key devices that support them. For more information on Hitachi, please visit the company’s website at http://www.hitachi.com.

About D&H Distributing

As one of North America’s leading technology distributors, D&H Canada provides a wealth of resources to empower solution providers and consultants, delivering a broad selection of SMB categories, products and applications. The company’s offerings span server and infrastructure, SOHO and mobile applications, consumer electronics and gaming. D&H’s multi-market expertise, account-dedicated sales teams, sterling service and flexible financing options are unmatched in the industry. With an impressive 93-year history serving as a trusted advisor to the reseller channel, D&H Distributing has been able to consistently reinvent itself based upon changing market conditions. The company prides itself on creating business partnerships with an astute focus on ease-of-doing-business, relationships, value, performance and service. D&H was recently named Cisco Worldwide Small Business Distributor of the Year for 2010. The company ships out of five separate locations in North America, including its US headquarters in Harrisburg, PA, and its Canadian headquarters in Mississauga, Ontario. Additional US warehouses are located in Atlanta, GA; Chicago, IL; and Fresno, CA. Call D&H toll-free at 1-800-340-1008 or visit www.dandh.ca.

Hitachi GST remains an independent company until the acquisition by Western Digital closes, anticipated to take place in Q4 2011. Our product portfolio has been a driver of our success. Until the close, we continue to execute plans for our communicated product roadmap and both companies intend to ship all product lines in parallel until their logical end of life. Customers can rest assured that when the acquisition is complete all Hitachi GST terms and conditions of the product warranty in effect at the time of purchase will be honored.

One GB is equal to one billion bytes and one TB equals 1,000 GB (one trillion bytes). Actual capacity will vary depending on operating environment and formatting.

G-Technology, G-SPEED, G-DRIVE and G-RAID are trademarks of Hitachi GST. Hitachi trademarks are authorized for use in countries and jurisdictions in which Hitachi has the right to market the brands. Hitachi is not liable for third parties’ unauthorized use of Hitachi trademarks.

All other trademarks are properties of their respective owners.

Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=50093566&lang=en

Contacts

Hitachi Global Storage Technologies
Erin Hartin, 303-284-7790 (Office)
erin.hartin@hitachigst.com
or
PR for D&H Distributing
Suzanne Mattaboni, 610-261-4560 (Office)
suzgm@aol.com

Manulife Financial Makes Travel Insurance Convenient and Easy


Manulife Financial Makes Travel Insurance Convenient and Easy

New mobile website and app simplifies trip planning for customers

WATERLOO, ON, Dec. 5, 2011 /CNW/ - Today, Manulife Financial announced a new mobile website and travel app that will make it easy and convenient for customers to purchase travel insurance. The new mobile website and app allows customers to purchase the newly created CoverMe Travel Single Trip Emergency Medical plan at an affordable daily flat rate, directly from their smartphones.

CoverMe.com is Affinity Market's direct-to-consumer website which has recently undergone an award-winning redesign to improve the online customer experience. The development of the mobile site and travel app are further enhancements for online customers.

"Our experience indicates that more than half of travel insurance purchases are made at the last minute," said Gavin Robinson, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Affinity Markets. "Recognizing customers are increasingly looking to use their smart phones to complete online transactions, the new CoverMe Travel mobile site extends our ability to offer affordable coverage whenever and wherever our customers need it."

The CoverMe™ Packing App helps travelers with the process of planning and packing for their trips. It allows users to create customized travel packing lists from categories such as Important Documents, Clothing, Toiletries and Travel Insurance. Travelers can create new categories and can check items off their customized list as they pack. Lists are saved and can be repurposed to ease the packing process for future trips.

"With the CoverMe Packing App, we're able to improve the travel experience in a new way," said Robinson. "By helping customers prepare for their trips, in addition to offering convenient options for the purchase of travel insurance, we hope to ease some of the stress associated with traveling."

The CoverMe Travel mobile website is compatible with a variety of Apple, Blackberry and Android devices and can be viewed at m.CoverMe.com. The CoverMe Packing App, which is currently available to download for free from the iTunes Store, is compatible with the iPhone 3 & 4 and the iPad 1 & 2.

About Affinity Markets
Affinity Markets is a division of Manulife Financial that offers a broad range of life, disability, creditor, health and travel insurance directly to the consumer and through professional and alumni associations, retiree organizations, financial institutions, retailers, travel groups, agents and other specialty distribution channels. With over 200 partner sponsors, insuring over 1 million Canadians, Manulife Financial's Affinity Markets is the leader in the affinity marketplace for health, life and travel insurance.

About Manulife Financial
Manulife Financial is a leading Canada-based financial services group operating in 21 countries and territories worldwide. For more than 120 years, clients have looked to Manulife for strong, reliable, trustworthy and forward-thinking solutions for their most significant financial decisions. Our international network of employees, agents and distribution partners offers financial protection and wealth management products and services to millions of clients. We provide asset management services to institutional customers worldwide as well as reinsurance solutions, specializing in property and casualty retrocession. Funds under management by Manulife Financial and its subsidiaries were C$492billion (US$473 billion) as at September 30, 2011. The Company operates as Manulife Financial in Canada and Asia and primarily as John Hancock in the United States.

Manulife Financial Corporation trades as 'MFC' on the TSX, NYSE and PSE, and under '945' on the SEHK. Manulife Financial can be found on the Internet at manulife.com.


For further information:

Media contact:
Michael May
AVP, Media Relations
Manulife Financial - Canadian Division
1-519-594-2660
michael_may@manulife.com